The Mind of a Hero
by Tavalya Ra
Summary: Vlad is determined to have Danny accept him as a father and mentor, but a little mental tampering has extreme results and leaves them both scarred. Seven years later, Danny learns the full consequences of an act for which he can never forgive himself.
1. Chapter 1: Eulogy for a Clone

**The Mind of a Hero**  
by Tavalya Ra

Summary: Vlad is determined to convince Danny to accept him as his father and assume a role as his protégé. Yet tampering with the younger hybrid's mind to achieve this triggers a reaction more extreme than Vlad ever intended, causing an incident that permanently alters their relationship and leaves both Danny and Vlad emotionally scarred. Seven years later, Danny learns the full consequences of a mindless act for which he can never forgive himself. AU - Season Three never happened.

Rating: R, primarily for violence, but also for rape

Warnings: rape, violence, slash, MPreg, melted Dani (is that a woe or a yay?), and angst. Spoilers for _everything_, especially the Vlad episodes and "The Ultimate Enemy."

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is owned by Butch Hartman, who would probably vomit into a bucket if he knew this story existed, and by Viacom. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

Notes: This story was initially inspired by "The Ultimate Enemy" and "Control Freaks," but was retrofitted to draw heavily from "Kindred Spirits." It references almost every episode in the "Danny Phantom" series. Spoilers abound.

* * *

**Chapter One: Eulogy for a Clone**

Her eyes- burning green, glimmering with desperation- had been the last part of her to dissolve. Yet her mouth had remained intact long enough to scream a final word.

Father.

"April seventh, 2006," Plasmius spoke into the air. His words were captured and recorded by the complex computer interface he had built in the dungeons of his castle in Wisconsin, a duplicate of the system that had been destroyed more than a year ago in his chalet in the Rockies. "The last specimen of the failed experiment to create a stable clone of Daniel Fenton-Phantom- the female Danielle Masters-Phantom- has dissolved."

"Father!" she had cried. By conserving her power, she had lasted over a year, but eventually she had- as Plasmius had known she would- completely destabilized.

She had called him father and he in turn had called her daughter. Yet unlike her, he had never meant his word. She had always been a substitute. Even if he had succeeded in stabilizing his genuine clone of Daniel, he realized not it would not have satisfied him. What he wanted was the real thing- the child that had been seeded inside and carried by the love of his life, Maddie. Anything else would pale in comparison.

_I should never have made any of them_, he thought, turning away from the interface. Silently, the screens shut themselves off. After his Maddie AI had confessed her love for the Jack program just before becoming corrupted by the system failure, Plasmius had deleted her backup copy and switched to a faceless version that spoke little and in an androgynous voice when necessary. _Especially Danielle._

All he had accomplished was to cause himself pain as clone after clone had melted into a frothing puddle. Of them, Danielle had been the greatest although she had been the only one he had never intended as more than a tool. He regretted losing all of them. He regretted losing her. She had never been a daughter, but she had been closer to him than it seemed Daniel would ever be.

He left the dungeons, changing from ghost to human as he ascended the stairs. His footsteps carried him to his private study, another room saturated with memories. Here he had first battled Daniel to defeat the boy and discover that he was not alone in the world; there was another like him: hybrid, ghost and human. Here Jasmine had sat in the very armchair in which he settled and folded over the page of his yearbook to bring the photograph of a younger, idealistic Vlad closer to that of Maddie.

"I wonder why this never happened," Jasmine had said.

Vlad didn't wonder. Jack had ruined his life; he'd wish away his powers and wealth in a heartbeat if doing so would bring Maddie and Daniel to him. The vultures and the rest of his ghostly servants could never fill the halls of his castle with life.

_All I want is love. Why is that too much to ask?_

He realized that he had alienated Daniel and wouldn't blame the boy if he never forgave Vlad for making Danielle. Yet he could not comprehend why the younger hybrid had so violently resisted his initial overtures- to be his father, to teach him everything he knew. Wasn't a kindred soul what Daniel sought? They were linked more closely than the boy could ever be to Jack: they shared the ability to transform into a ghost at will and enjoy all the powers that state of being allowed. For that, Daniel practically _was_ Vlad's son, albeit one estranged. If they ever became allied not only was Vlad convinced they would be unstoppable, a force no other team ghostly or human could withstand, but he believed Maddie's heart would be swayed by observing her offspring's loyalties.

_Why, Daniel? I understand why you loathe me now, but why then?_

Loyalty towards Jack? Perhaps, but only because Jack was Daniel's father. Vlad saw no points of commonality between them nor anything that bound them beyond the basic ties of merely being father and son. If nothing strong linked Daniel to Jack, then what had repelled him from Vlad?

He toyed with the question and presently an answer occurred.

_"I am not a villain_,_"_ he had told Daniel.

Yet in Daniel's mind he was. The issue was the very matter over which Vlad had mocked the boy when they had first met in ghost form: he used his powers for "good." Daniel saw himself as a hero, defending the human world from malevolent ghosts. He naturally cast Vlad, his frequent antagonist, as a villain, squeezing the older hybrid's character to fit his conception of a world that split nicely into white and black, good and evil. Such a perspective Vlad found naïve and trite, yet it explained Daniel's refusals. Acceptance would mean that he would become evil himself.

_So, the issue is the limited philosophical capacity of a teenager._

Vlad knew he possessed a dark side and indulged it frequently, but that wasn't the same as being evil. Evil was an abstract in which he put little stock. If only he could somehow bring Daniel to acknowledge that such a side existed to himself: to realize and wish to pursue his deepest and most terrifying yet also exhilarating desires. Vlad would bet his castle that one of the longings Daniel had buried out of fear of himself was to accept the older hybrid's offer.

Daniel clearly required a nudge to propel his thoughts in this direction, yet words and demonstrations had failed repeatedly to produce this result naturally. Vlad needed a direct approach. Not mind control; had that ever appealed to him, Daniel- even Jasmine and Maddie- would have been his years ago. No, he wanted Daniel to come to him of free will. Yet leaving the boy with the ability to reason and choose did not forbid a little mental tampering.

_I'll open doors in your mind that terrify you and you will discover that there was never any reason to fear_, Vlad thought. _And you will thank me for it. You will accept me. You will be mine._


	2. Chapter 2: Bittersweet Sixteen

**Chapter Two: Bittersweet Sixteen**

Danny remembered the first time he defeated Plasmius. The other ghost had congratulated him.

"I am teaching you something," he had said and smiled with pride, a gesture that had left Danny unnerved.

_I'm not your son_, he remembered wanting to say. _I never will be. _

Oddly, he also remembered feeling regret. He had liked Vlad for the brief time that he had known the hybrid simply as Masters and occasionally found himself wishing that period had lasted longer. Their next encounters had been tense, yet Plasmius had remained collected and in control. Just as he had dismissed Danny calling him a fruit loop while trapped in Skulker's box, he had laughed aside all of Danny's quips and insults. His dialogue had been jovial and- perverse as perhaps it was- their hostility was colored by an almost warm familiarity. Plasmius knew him well and made no secret of it as if to say, "You may think you're my enemy, but we're the same." It was a suggestion that Danny hated passionately, especially after meeting Dan.

Upon meeting his clone- Danielle or "Dani with an 'i'" as she had liked to call herself- he had discovered the dynamic abruptly changed.

"Funny, joke-around Vlad isn't here today!" the other hybrid had bellowed. That time, when Danny had called him a fruit loop, he hadn't laughed. As if slighted, he had demanded, "Could a fruit loop do this?" and had then paraded before Danny segments of the plots which had defined his life.

"Understand me," was what Vlad had been saying that day.

In the year that had followed the battle in Vlad's chalet, Danny had been scared to discover that he could. "I'm not a villain," Vlad had said- Danny disagreed. Even if his motive was love- selfish and obsessive, but nonetheless love- he was still evil for the methods he used. Pity Vlad Danny could and sometimes found himself doing so. But he would always fight the other hybrid; if that were ever to change, the responsibility was Plasmius', not his.

He had never hated Vlad- until tonight. Tonight, when Danielle had dissolved into a puddle of ectoplasmic goo before his eyes. When Plasmius had looked at her remains and not the slightest hint of remorse for the girl who had called him father had flickered across his face before he had disappeared in a swirl of pink light.

Rage and loss drove Danny into the Ghost Zone, where he banged at the portcullis of Clockwork's castle until the Master of Time answered.

"I won't help you," the ghost said before Danny had even a chance to explain himself.

"Please- you have to-"

"There are very few things I have to do," Clockwork said, shifting from middle aged to a wizened old man. "And that list is hardly something I intend to share with you."

"But-" Danny stammered.

"You've already tampered with time once and witnessed the consequences," reminded Clockwork, changing into his child form. "You should have learned your lesson."

"I did! But this isn't the same situation at all- there's no way to save Danielle in the present!" Danny cried. "Only if I go into the past-"

"How would you save her?" Clockwork questioned coldly. "Her form was unstable since the moment of her creation."

"I could stabilize her! She needed my DNA-"

"Once she left her pod, her form was set," said the ghost.

"But if I go to the moment of her creation, I could somehow sneak in a sample without Plasmius knowing-"

Clockwork shifted age again, returning to his first form as an adult. "Danny," he spoke sternly, his face revealing irritation. "Go home."

Danny wanted to scream at Clockwork but even grief-stricken he wasn't crazy enough not to realize how stupid that would be, never mind pointless. Against his wishes yet in accordance with his better judgment, he followed Clockwork's advice and returned to Fentonworks.

Alone in his bedroom, he cried into his pillow. Danielle had popped in and out of his life at irregular intervals, never becoming a major facet of his life. Yet he had thought of her almost like a kid sister; thanks to her, he had begun to understand how Jazz felt about him, experiencing bouts of anxiety and protectiveness for her sake. Now she was gone and- for the first time since becoming half-ghost- Danny found he could do nothing. Only Clockwork had any power to change her fate.

He felt such impotence that it maddened him. Had this been inevitable? Had there been something- anything- he could have done to save her? He chased the idea in his mind like a rat on a wheel, running round and round faster and faster only to stay in place. The thought that he would never see her again- either here or in the Ghost Zone- formed a wall inside his head; he slammed into it again and again, unable to move past it, each time walking away with another bruise and a heightened sense of pain.

_This is Plasmius' fault_, he thought bitterly. _If he had never cloned me-_

Then Danielle would not have existed at all.

She should not have ever existed, Danny realized, and felt terrible for thinking so. Because she _had_. She had been someone- the baby sister he had never had- and he had eventually started to love her that way.

Thinking hurt too much, but he couldn't shut off his brain. He spent the remaining hours of the dark of morning clutching his bed sheets and sobbing until he felt sick.

* * *

The bitter truth of life was that it continued. Schoolwork did not end because a life had been extinguished and Danny had to maintain a veneer of cheeriness to keep his parents beguiled. Fortunately, he had Jazz, Sam, and Tucker to talk with and to help shoulder his grief. They understood; they missed her, too.

He realized the hole he felt inside himself would never go away. But as the weeks passed, the edges of the gap smoothed and he found himself smiling and meaning the gesture again. He did not fight joy as it returned to him, although he felt somewhat guilty for surrendering to it. Life moved onward and he knew he had to as well. He would always miss Dani and would never forget her- but he also could not forget to live himself.

And there was no better time to act upon that determination than today.

"Happy birthday, Danny!"

His parents grinned proudly as they presented him with the cake they had made. Maddie had baked it and Jack decorated it, each of the sixteen candles ringed by the tail of a ghost, including a slightly deformed Danny Phantom. Danny tried not to blush when Jazz nudged him and pointed at his saccharine portrait. The confection wasn't overly large, but just the right size for the six gathered in Fentonworks' kitchen: Danny, his family, and his best friends Sam and Tucker. Jack cut the cake into slices and distributed them; frosting Phantom went to Sam.

"Hey," Tucker said, "which part of Danny are you going to eat first?"

Sam turned red and stabbed him with her fork. Danny gave the two a bemused look, not understanding the exchange. Deciding it was probably unimportant, he decapitated the Box Ghost and ate his head.

After cake, Danny opened his presents. Sam gave him the special edition director's cut of the "Cyber Zombie Commando" trilogy on DVD, Tucker the newest expansion pack for "Doomed." Jazz's present was a photo album. Opening it, he discovered inside pictures of himself with his family, his friends, and few images of him with Dani.

"Who's that girl?" Maddie asked, peeking over Danny's shoulder.

"Oh, she…" He felt his throat tighten. "She's a freshman, but she moved away recently."

He glanced up at Jazz and said thank you. Some of the pictures in the album he had no idea had existed until just now and he was grateful to have them. Feeling himself begin to slide into a funk, he reminded himself, _Dani would want you to be happy today. _Tonight, perhaps, he would look over these photos and allow himself to experience the tides of emotion that would wash through him in response. For now, he would enjoy his day while it lasted. For her.

Smiling, Jack and Maddie handed him their gift: a small box that contained a set of keys to the Fenton Family Assault Vehicle and a schedule for driving lessons for which his parents had already paid. Danny felt a warm infusion of pride in his chest. His relationship with his father and mother had become odd and shaky two years ago when he had acquired ghost powers, yet he had managed to keep his secret and eventually pull up his grades and maintain the responsibilities they expected of him. The silver keys, hooked onto a green keychain of the Fenton logo, were tangible evidence of their trust.

Sam, who already had her license and her own car, drove the trio to the town carnival. The line for the roller coaster was short and they rode it repeatedly before dizzying themselves silly on the spinning cups. Tucker managed to actually win the ball toss and was rewarded with a purple teddy bear that he gave to Sam.

"Are you sure this was all you wanted to do on your birthday?" Sam asked later, as the three of them walked along the wharf. "This was a lot of fun, but it was a bit like something we do on any weekend."

"That's not the point, Sam," Danny answered. "I know I'm going to sound like a Hallmark card, but the best day is just hanging out with the two of you. It might not be like those bashes Paulina has at the country club, but it's special enough for me."

She laughed. "You do sound like a Hallmark card. We should head back to the car if we want to catch the next showing of 'Dead Teacher VII.'"

"No better way to wrap up a birthday celebration than with senseless violence and gore!" Tucker declared gleefully. "And this installment has cyborgs that time travel from the future!"

Heeding Sam's suggestion, they returned to the parking lot and quickly filed into her black compact car. They arrived at the theater with twenty minutes to spare- a good thing, for as Danny stepped onto the pavement a blast of cold breath hit face, wafting from his own mouth.

"Oh great," he groaned. "Just what I wanted to have to deal with today."

"Hey, I'm sure you can handle it," Tucker assured him, whipping a Fenton Thermos from his backpack. "Go on, kick butt! We'll get seats."

"Thanks, guys. I'm hoping this won't take too long, but if it does…"

Sam nodded. "We'll cover for you with your parents, don't worry."

Danny took the thermos from Tucker and flashed both his friends a smile before rushing into a nearby alleyway to duck behind a dumpster and transform. Once in Phantom form, he floated through the area, searching for whatever had triggered his ghost sense. He saw nothing. Then, from the shadows of another alley, something bright and green shot forward. Danny had no time to dodge; a glowing net surrounded him, binding his body into a tight bundle. A sharp yank on the chain attached to the net dragged him forward. Given the device used to capture him, he wasn't surprised when Skulker's metal-plated face grinned at him.

"When are you going to give up on hunting me?" Danny groused. Causing his body to generate a sudden burst of energy, he easily snapped the net apart in the same manner which he had at least a dozen times before. "Can we reschedule this? I have plans- and isn't there some code of honor that tells you not to stalk a guy on his birthday?"

"The only day Skulker rests is Christmas!" the hunter declared. Darts shot from launchers that popped out of his shoulder plates, but Danny swerved around them. They exploded into puffs of green smoke when they struck the surrounding buildings. "Besides, I'm acting on commission."

_Commission?_ Danny questioned, knowing what that meant: Plasmius.

Anger quickened in his chest. Plasmius had sent Skulker stalking Dani, too, and those battles had been brutal because she hadn't dared to use her powers, always fearing going too far and melting herself. Yet in the end, Plasmius had gotten what he had wanted; Dani, knowing she was dying, had tried to attack him and had failed, melting into goop.

_I never want to see Vlad again!_ he thought fiercely. He possessed no desire for revenge or to cause the other hybrid to suffer on account of Dani's death despite believing it deserved. He simply wanted Plasmius to leave him alone; if they never fought again, only then would the older man stop creating misery for Danny.

"Fine," he snapped, shooting an ectoplasmic blast at Skulker. The ghost flew out of its path, which Danny had anticipated; the strike was a warning shot, not a genuine attack. "Let's make this quick."

"I intend to!" the hunter declared with predatory glee.

Skulker raised his arm and pressed a button on his wrist. Five darts shot from his fingertips. Danny spun to the side- yet the small blasts he anticipated from the darts striking the brick buildings did not follow. He turned his head- and immediately shot upward. When he had dodged aside, the darts had swerved from their initial course, altering their flight path to match his.

"They're equipped with trackers, whelp!" he heard Skulker shout from below. "Can you out fly them?"

"At one hundred sixty miles per hour?" Danny muttered to himself as he continued skyward. His speed had increased somewhat since age fourteen. "I bet I can."

Yet flying faster than the darts would not be enough he realized- eventually he would tire and slow. What he needed to do was to get rid of them. He remembered how people defeated tracking missiles in movies: by tricking them into slamming into each other. Deciding the tactic was worth a shot, he began flying in loops through the clouds; the darts followed him in a swarm. While he was indeed faster than them, the fact did not help; instead of repeating his flight pattern, the darts simply flew at him in whatever path their trackers could detect quickly enough- which, since not as swift as his loops, was an almost straight line.

_This isn't doing anything_, he thought. Somehow, he had to get the darts to separate and fly at each other- or maybe he could use his speed to get far enough away to blast them. That seemed like a better idea; he zoomed forward for about half a minute, then spun around and started zapping.

"Ha!" he laughed jubilantly as the first dart fried.

Zap, zap-

"Shit," he swore, realizing the remaining two were dangerously close.

Something pricked him from behind. Swerving his head, he saw a set of four more darts converging upon him- the fifth of the group had already sunk its needle into the small of his back. The first set, he realized, had only been a distraction- he should have thought to consider if there were darts in Skulker's other fingers!

Danny flew downwards, now not sure what to do. Reaching behind, he pulled Skulker's single lucky dart out of himself. As he had feared, he could tell that the needle was coated with some type of poison. Just as he began to wonder what the effects were and how soon they would set in, he felt his limbs become heavy. He took a breath, but a giant hand was pressed against his chest, preventing his lungs from fully expanding. As his vision began to dim, he glimpsed Skulker swooping towards him, the satisfied grin of knowing a job had been well done stretched across the ghost's face.


	3. Chapter 3: Never a Father

**Chapter Three: Never a Father**

Consciousness returned in a haze, dark colors flickering in Danny's vision like a psychedelic flame before they resolved into shapes. The first thing of which he became aware was that he had reverted to Fenton. Unsurprising- he remembered being struck by Skulker's dart and passing out, an act which almost always caused him to lose his grasp on his ghost form. He was strapped upright- probably to a wall, but perhaps just a table- by leather restraints, something he wished he could claim unusual for him. Although he had never been inside this room before, he was fairly certain of where he was: Axion Labs. The bare, white walls were familiar and, as part of Vlad Co., it was a logical place for Plasmius to hold him captive. There was nothing in the room- not even a security camera- except a metal pole in the center that helped support the ceiling and a table with the Plasmius Maximus lying on it.

_As if I needed more evidence for who is behind this._

If he only knew what "this" was. What did Vlad want?

_I wish I didn't have to care_, he thought bitterly, Dani's face appearing in his mind. If the other hybrid had left her alone to die, why couldn't he leave Danny alone to live?

Although he believed it futile- if the restraints weren't ghost-proof, he had likely been zapped by the Plasmius Maximus while unconscious- he tried going ghost. He was shocked to succeed.

_Huh. That's weird_, he thought, more disturbed than heartened by his success.

He attempted to phase through the restraints. Immediately, an electric current shot through his body, one almost strong enough to force him human. He heard his hair crackle and felt it stand on end.

"Oh come now, you didn't think it would be that easy."

Danny wasn't surprised when Vlad Plasmius materialized before him. Hovering a few inches above the ground, the other hybrid smiled.

"Happy birthday, Daniel," he greeted.

"Wha-what?" Danny stammered, startled by the other ghost's cheer. Plasmius had not smiled at him nor spoken to him with even a semblance of warmth in years.

"I want to give you a present," Plasmius said. "A little clarity of mind. Sixteen is a significant age- you deserve a significant gift."

"I don't want anything from you," he answered bitterly.

"I think that's not true," Plasmius responded confidently. "I think you're too afraid to admit to yourself what it is you really want. But I-"

Danny didn't understand what the other ghost meant to imply and found that he didn't care. Looking into Plasmius' face was more heart wrenching than gazing at the photographs Jazz had just given him.

"The only person who wanted anything from you was Dani!" he cried. "You told me once that all you want is love- well, she loved you! And you kicked her away! You let her die- you wanted her to! So don't tell me what I want!"

A touch of ice entered Plasmius' ruby eyes.

"Don't make this about her, Daniel," he warned. "You made her necessary- her creation and her death. Your stubbornness prevented me from saving her-"

"You never would have saved her," Danny seethed, knowing Plasmius' words were a lie, just another trick. Clockwork had told him that Dani had been doomed the moment she had left her pod.

"Don't make this about her!" Plasmius snapped, pointing his finger at Danny as he quivered angrily. "I didn't come here to hash out my failures with you, boy. I came to free your mind. I know why you've refused my tutelage time and again."

"Because I'm not evil?" Danny suggested. "Oh, yeah, and I love my dad!"

"It has nothing to do with your father and everything to do with your delusions," declared Plasmius. "Your delusions… and your fears. You fight ghosts for _good_. You don't understand how the world- nor how your mind- truly works. I'm not evil, Daniel. I'm _powerful_. You fear me."

"I do not-"

"Yes, you _do_," the other ghost insisted, his eyes glowing feverishly. "You fear the aspects of me that you know are locked within you. You fear them overwhelming you… you fear that you can't control them. And that is why you have denied me. You fear what that taste of power will do to you. I'm going to take that fear away from you, Daniel. I'm going to unlock your dark side and make you acknowledge what you truly desire."

"My dark side?" Danny questioned timorously.

Another's face- one akin to both Plasmius' and his own- appeared in his mind: Dan. Whether Plasmius knew it or not, it was Dan Phantom of which he spoke.

The other hybrid seemed not to detect the fearful quality that had entered Danny's voice. He responded casually, "So to speak. It's Jungian theory- not that I'd expect you to know _that_."

_"I won't turn into that… ever… I promise." _

"What are you going to do to me?" Danny questioned, not fully understanding Plasmius' intentions. Unlock his dark side? Did that mean what he feared- encouraging the aspects of him that had lead to the creation of Dan? Could he resist- would he have any control? "Plasmius… Vlad, don't…"

"There's no need to be afraid," Plasmius said, his tone carrying an odd affection. "I'm giving you power, Daniel. To know yourself fully is to know your true limits- and they are greater than you believe."

From somewhere- Danny could not tell where the other hybrid had previously concealed it- Plasmius withdrew a metal box. It was plain except for the top, where four spiked prongs held a red orb. A chill ran down Danny's spine. He recognized that sphere; it looked identical to the crystal from Freak Show's staff. Remembering his helplessness then- how difficult the struggle to resist had been- he felt alarm jolt through him like a livewire.

_I can't become that! I can't-_

"Vlad, please," he begged again. "You don't understand!"

The other hybrid might as well have been deaf. His face portrayed the exact opposite of what Danny felt: a satisfied serenity.

"Don't be afraid. There's no reason-"

"Yes, there is!" Danny cried in sudden panic. He _had_ to make the other man listen. "You don't understand! I've seen my dark side! I know-"

"No, you silly boy," Plasmius shook his head as if chiding a small child who spoke out of ignorance- yet it was Plasmius who knew nothing of the horror Danny had witnessed and feared becoming. He had not seen the future that Danny fought with each choice he made to prevent. "But soon, you will. And you will accept me as your father."

The orb began to glow. It clouded, variegated hues of red swirling within it. Like a ghost's eye, Danny thought. The eyes he had possessed when under the control of Freak Show- the eyes Dan had looked upon him with as he had tried to crush Danny's world.

_It's not fair!_ his heart roared. _I don't want to become him-_ _it should be my choice not to become him!_

_ Every choice I've made since I've met Dan is not to become him…_

Then all thoughts of choice- of the future- disintegrated in his mind, burned in a blaze that set his brain on fire. Layers of himself peeled away, curling upon themselves and then crumbling into ash to expose a dark and frightful core.

Only one clear thought was left to Danny now: it should not be this way and he knew whom to blame.

Eyes faceted upon Plasmius, he felt an anger brilliant enough to match the flames consuming him ignite in his breast and claim his heart.

_You aren't my father. I won't even let you _think_ you're my father!_

_ I've never wanted you as father…_

* * *

_It's working!_ Plasmius thought jubilantly. The change evinced itself in Daniel's eyes, which burned like two emerald flames. He'd never witnessed such fervor within the younger hybrid before and wondered what the boy would do now.

_We'll be unstoppable. And when Maddie realizes in what esteem Daniel holds me, she'll come to me. She will be mine- they'll both be mine._

The machine deactivated automatically; now that Daniel's darker half had been tapped, it would remain dominant for at least an hour without the device. The boy lay still within his restraints, yet his face seemed wrathful and calculating. Was he considering upon whom he might take revenge now that his naïve and immature conscience was not interfering with his judgment? Plasmius realized he was a likely target of Daniel's ire and would have to act with caution. Hopefully, this incident would not come to blows, but he was prepared for that outcome just in case and snatched the Plasmius Maximus from the table.

"How do you feel, Daniel?" he asked.

The boy's body glowed green. Unlike last time, the power he generated was enough to compensate for the safety built into the leather straps; rather than zap him, they burst apart. Plasmius quickly turned intangible to prevent a metal prong from gouging his eye.

_I knew it_, he thought and could not help feeling smug. _The boy has been repressing his powers! He's stronger than he seems!_

Smirking, he remarked, "Very good, Daniel. We're off to a nice-"

A white-gloved fist flew at his nose. Plasmius dodged it, then grabbed Daniel's arm and twisted. The boy screamed. At his cry, Plasmius laughed sharply.

"Twenty years more experience than you," the hybrid reminded. "Do you really think-"

Daniel turned his head towards Plasmius and _roared_.

The vibrations of his howl were far stronger than a normal sound wave. Plasmius resisted, but eventually his hand was wrenched from Daniel's wrist and his body was flung backwards, slamming him into the metal pole. Surprisingly, the boy did not revert back to his human form afterwards, yet Plasmius recognized that Daniel had not used his full power against him. He felt mildly impressed the other hybrid had learned to control his ghostly wail.

Daniel floated above him, clearly enraged. Was it Plasmius' imagination or had the boy's eyes acquired a red tint? Deciding it of no importance, the older hybrid rose to his feet; the pain he felt would have been wretched were he currently Masters, but in ghost form he could easily absorb it. Threateningly, he pointed the prongs of the Plasmius Maximus at Daniel and issued a warning.

"This is not a game. You will behave or I will subdue you-"

"_WHY!_" Daniel screamed, his first word spoken since Plasmius had activated the machine. The boy's voice had never sounded so furious or hysterical to him before. "_Why my mother!_"

Plasmius' jaw nearly dropped. He had expected Daniel to rage about Danielle, not Maddie. Of all the questions to ask- why was Daniel asking it? And what really was he asking? Why Plasmius loved Maddie? Because she was fierce and intelligent. She was peerless; she was perfect. How could he not love her?

The pause was too much for Daniel, who continued to shout, "You don't care about me at all! It's only her- she's who you want! The only reason you claim to care anything about me is to have a piece of her!"

At those words, Plasmius' heart soared. Daniel did want him! He lowered the Plasmius Maximus and gave the boy a fond, gentle smile. He need only calm Daniel and the boy would embrace him- already, it was Daniel's fervent desire.

"That's not true at all," he answered sincerely. "You should know that. Why else would I have tried to clone you? I do care about you. I do want you."

"_You're lying!_"

A burst of green zoomed towards Plasmius, who quickly spun out of its path. Daniel shot another ectoplasmic ray, which Plasmius again dodged. The older hybrid floated upward beyond the blast range and retaliated, tossing an orb of pink light at Daniel. It struck the boy in the chest, flinging him into the wall with a force that Plasmius had calculated only to dizzy- not injure- him.

"Daniel, don't be stupid!" he chided, deciding that if the boy made one more outburst he would quell him.

"As a son!" the younger hybrid roared. "_As if I were your son by her!_"

The protest puzzled Plasmius. Why did that bother Daniel? In what other manner could he possibly want Plasmius to relate to him?

"Yes, you should have been my son. You still can be. You have Maddie's blood and my powers. That's enough for me."

Daniel's eyes widened; the fire in them quickened.

"_I don't want to be your son!_"

Again, the cry was more than simply anguish given voice: it carried force, a powerful wave of energy that shoved Plasmius backwards a second time, sending him crashing against the wall. For a moment, the other hybrid saw stars; then his vision cleared so that he could see Daniel hovering overhead as before, fists glowing green.

"You could never be a father to _anybody_!" Daniel screamed. "Dani proves that-"

Dismayed by the reoccurrence of the topic of his ill-made clone, Plasmius began, "If this is about Danielle-"

"No. No, it isn't," Daniel answered in a voice so low and fierce that it chilled Plasmius. "It's about how you want me and how I want you. _I've never wanted to be your son!_"

Something was wrong, Plasmius realized. The boy should not be this angry. Daniel's eyes were ablaze, verdant green tinged with flecks of ruby. Whatever was behind those eyes now, it wasn't quite Daniel. Yet another experiment had failed, he acknowledged with bitter disappointment; his device's effect had been too strong, accomplishing the very thing he believed Daniel to fear- power and anger overtaking him so that he lost all control. Rising to his feet, he decided it was time to abort before Daniel did something that forced the older hybrid to seriously hurt him.

_In sheer force, I'm stronger than him. There's no reason I can't use that advantage._

He launched himself at the boy, smashing into Daniel and shoving him against white floor. The boy was momentarily stunned. Plasmius attempted to shove the prongs of the Plasmius Maximus into his side but was repelled as Daniel grabbed his wrist and tried to twist it. The boy failed, but nonetheless maintained a grip Plasmius found himself unable to break. They tussled on the ground, Daniel glaring with obvious hate and snarling. His behavior disturbed Plasmius, who could not remember Maddie's son ever acting this way before.

"Something is wrong, Daniel," he said. "It will pass, but let me help you-"

"No!"

Daniel became an explosion of green, ectoplasmic force again blasting Plasmius up and away. Fortunately, the ceiling was high enough that Plasmius had time to stop his ascent before striking it. Below him, Daniel's face was twisted with rage. The younger hybrid bent his knees and then zoomed at him.

Plasmius twirled aside, but Daniel latched onto his cloak. In response, Plasmius zoomed downwards, hoping to either dislodge or disorient him. He succeeded at the latter; the boy was obviously dizzied, but Plasmius bashed him into the wall for good measure.

"Enough," he said.

Daniel phased through him.

Before Plasmius could turn, a kick to the small of his back made him crumple and slump against the wall. He never saw the ectoplasmic ray that zapped the Plasmius Maximus out of his hands. Alarm shot through his veins at its loss. He turned around, but not swiftly enough for the chance to dodge what came: Daniel flew at him and stabbed the Plasmius Maximus into his chest.

His forced transformation back into simple, human Masters was heralded by black light flashing before his eyes. In the few seconds that passed before the completion of his reversion, he saw his life condensed and realized with cold shock that he could die here. He had been so sure and smug of himself- now he was defenseless and alone with a boy of extraordinary power possessed by a temporary insanity. He could die here.

_But I won't!_

Now was not the time to berate himself- plenty of time to do that alone in his castle once the effects of both the device and the Plasmius Maximus had worn off the other hybrid and himself. He ran for the door. An ectoplasmic blast raced and beat him, melting the handle; Vlad jumped away as further bolts of energy flung at the portal warped its frame, sealing it shut.

"You aren't going anywhere!" Daniel insisted.

With fear clenching his heart, Vlad turned towards the boy, expecting rage to be etched on the hybrid's face. It was, but Daniel's expression betrayed other emotions as well. Longing set aflame was clear in his eyes. Vlad wondered at it, remembering the boy's earlier remarks- Daniel wanted him somehow, as a father and yet independently of Vlad's emotions for Maddie. Was that an opening which he could exploit? Words were the only defense left to him. If he could not reason with Daniel, his only alternative was to race around the room until the boy's senses regained control.

"_Think_, Daniel," he insisted, trying to maintain a gentle and steady tone despite that his fear was heightening by the second. "You don't really want to hurt me. I have so much to teach-"

The younger hybrid's lips curled in disgust. "You have nothing to teach me."

He shot another burst of ectoplasm at Vlad. The hapless billionaire ran, but there was nowhere to go and nothing in the room that could help him. He wished he had brought weapons, such as the arsenal he had designed for Valerie Gray, with him. He wished to God he had never done this- could he really last the forty or more minutes left until Daniel remembered himself and that he was not a killer?

"_You aren't going anywhere!_"

A spurt of green light struck Vlad's foot, sparking pain and toppling him. Close to the center of the room, he snatched for the pole to stop his fall. Using the metal beam for support, he began to pull himself upright- and then found he could move no further. Bonds of ectoplasm, generated by Daniel, appeared around his wrists, binding him to the pole. He tugged, trying to pull away despite knowing well it was futile; even without his powers short-circuited, he couldn't phase through ectoplasm.

Fear ran like an electric current down his spine. His face was turned from Daniel, but he knew the other ghost was floating towards him, hands glowing with a surge of energy that would be lethal to Vlad in his current form.

He couldn't believe he was going to die- not like this. Brought to an end by his own foolishness, murdered by a child who would be horrified with himself once he returned to his senses. His killer was not Danny Phantom, but something dark that would have lain dormant had Vlad not decided to meddle in the depths of the boy's soul.

"You don't want to do this," said Vlad, trying to sound confident although he knew he was pleading for his life. "You don't want to kill me. You-"

"Who said I wanted to kill you?" Daniel retorted, his voice cold.

The response stilled Vlad into silence. He didn't understand. What then was the boy after? Merely to cause him pain? Hear him scream?

_I will not scream!_ Vlad thought with sudden fierceness, his pride coming to the fore. _No matter what you do I will not scream for you, Daniel._

"Who do you see when you look at me?" Daniel demanded. "WHO?"

That voice did not sound like a child's. It was deep and husky, almost a man's- one intoxicated by fury. Vlad felt a greater fear than before and did not understand why.

_Me_, Vlad thought honestly in answer to Daniel's question, but such a response might only enrage him further.

"Maddie," he said. "Maddie is in your eyes…"

Yet not now; now there was something in Daniel's eyes wholly unlike him or his mother.

Daniel pounced onto his back. "Say her name again and I will kill you!"

He grabbed Vlad's collar and pulled. With a loud _riiiip_, he tore Vlad's suit jacket and shirt off in one yank. The air felt cold against Vlad's skin; his breath hitched in his throat.

"Daniel, what-"

Daniel's hands went lower.

"Oh, God," Vlad gasped, just before the gears inside him jammed.

"I'm as close to my mother as you'll ever get!" Daniel declared. He ripped off Vlad's pants as quickly and easily as he had the man's shirt. "And I'll make sure you never forget it."

_This isn't happening…_

But it was. And he had to prepare himself, for there was nothing he could do to stop Daniel from consummating his rage.

Vlad made one promise to himself and this time the thought was not fierce or proud.

_I will not scream._

He kept it.


	4. Chapter 4: Never a Son

**Chapter Four: Never a Son**

It passed, but not swiftly enough. Daniel withdrawing was almost as painful as his entry; Vlad felt raw and exposed. He finally released the pole around which his hands had clenched so tightly he had abraded his palms; a moment later, the ectoplasmic bonds around his wrists disintegrated and he slumped to the ground. He heard a thud and, on his knees, he turned towards the sound. Daniel was on the floor, unconscious from exertion. The boy turned human and was again fully clothed, as if a second before the bottom half of his jump suit hadn't been pooled around his ankles.

Vlad's entire body trembled, wracked with pain and indignation. Disbelief competed with the fury that blazed under his skin.

_I could kill the boy right now_, he thought. Wrap his hands around Daniel's neck and squeeze. His nerves screamed the agony and rage he hadn't allowed his voice to betray. He could kill the boy now- it would be easy, satisfying. It would be vengeance.

He did not know what stayed his hands.

* * *

Danny's head pounded as if Ember's goons were using it for band practice. He stared at the white, sterile ceiling above and had no idea where he was. A thick fog encased his mind. Then memory came to him, bit by bit, shards resolving themselves into a dark mosaic. He remembered feeling rage, hot and blinding. He remembered Plasmius' smug expression melting into a genuine panic. He remembered the thrust and then the release, as if his essence as been sucked out of him in exchange for the orgasmic rush of pleasure that had followed… He remembered hearing what might have been the genesis of a cry die in Vlad's throat as only a whimper.

_No._ The thought was as firm as stone, its denial resonating in his mind. _That didn't happen. It couldn't have happened. I would never-_

Across the room, Vlad Masters was staring at him. The man's eyes were for once blank, lamp-like. Danny couldn't recall them ever seeming so empty before. His legs were bare and folded under himself. A scrap of cloth covered his lap; another- the ragged remains of half a shirt- he clutched to his chest.

_No_, Danny thought again. Yet he knew for certain that it had occurred.

His stomach heaved. He turned over onto his belly; a moment later, partially digested birthday cake spewed out of his mouth, leaving a stinking and brown puddle of mush on the floor. He wanted to scream; he wanted to tear the now-slumbering beast out of him- the beast that minutes ago he had been.

Bleary, he lifted his head.

"Vlad?" he asked and crawled forward.

He wanted to say he was sorry, but there was no apology for this. There could only be violence in exchange for violence. He would lay himself at Plasmius' feet and let the other man do whatever he willed.

Vlad's voice was a whisper, but it was firm.

"Get out."

"Vlad-" Danny croaked.

"You are not my son. You never will be my son. I want nothing more to do with you," said Vlad. "Get out."

It wasn't Danny who willed his body to rise or his feet to move towards the door. They did those of their own accord. Repulsion- self-hatred and disgust to an extreme Danny had never felt before- ate at him, corroding his insides. He wanted to go home, go into the shower and scrub himself so thoroughly that he would completely rub away layer after layer until there was nothing of him left.

Sam and Tucker were waiting in the living room when he finally arrived back at Fentonworks.

"Oh my gosh, Danny, what happened!" Sam exclaimed as he walked through the door. "Who was it?"

"Plasmius," Danny answered mechanically. "He-"

He stopped and looked at his friends. Friends he didn't deserve anymore, their faces open and loving in their concern. He couldn't tell them. If Vlad wanted to tell anyone, that was his will and Danny would submit to it. But otherwise, he couldn't speak of it and he couldn't afford to give them any reason to question what had happened.

He forced himself to smile. "Typical Plasmius. He tried to get me to join him. I told him no and we fought. Once he recovers, he'll probably be on his way back to Wisconsin."

"You don't think he'll try and come after you again first?" Tucker questioned.

"No. There's always the possibility, but I don't think so," said Danny. "I'm really tired, guys. You don't mind if I…?"

Sam gave him a reassuring smile. "You deserve some rest after fighting _him_. Go on, Tucker and I will keep a lookout just in case."

Danny nodded and went upstairs. There, he opened the door to his room and flung himself on the bed. He wanted to vomit again. The discrepancy between the impression he had given Sam and Tucker and the truth of what had happened sickened him.

He wished that he hadn't left Vlad alone in the lab, but rather that the man had accepted his offering. He wished that right now, Plasmius was throwing him against the wall and pummeling him with fists and ectoplasm.

Today, he had turned sixteen and became a rapist.

He had no idea how he was going to live with himself anymore.


	5. Chapter 5: The Qualifications for a

**Chapter Five: The Qualifications for a Victim**

_Three months later... _

Vlad's dreams did not match his memory. Daniel's face bore no resemblance to Jack's; instead Vlad's features meshed with Maddie's as if the boy were truly his flesh, the son Vlad had once meant him to be. The metal pole to which his hands had been bound was now a beam of fire, branding his skin with a line bisecting his body. The tears inside him that had begun to heal were ripped open again as Daniel entered and took, ejecting his seed and then casting off Vlad, leaving the man discarded and violated.

Vlad awoke in the morning, panting and sweat-soaked. Throwing aside the sheets, he stumbled out of bed and bolted for the bathroom. As he clutched the rim of the toilet, he leaned over and heaved. Once yesterday's dinner was in the water swirling down the drain, his nerves began to settle. He rinsed out his mouth and then lay down on the floor pressing his forehead against the cool tiles.

This cycle of dreaming and vomiting had begun a few weeks ago. Vlad didn't understand the cause. Thoughts of his rape did not make him sick; they filled him with rage, of which most had migrated from Daniel to himself. He hated the boy for taking and tearing him, but he did not blame him. Daniel never would have behaved so had Vlad not drawn out his fury and built it to a terrible crescendo.

All Vlad wanted was to forget. Yet his body would not allow him, as if it responded to a subconscious trauma of which he was unaware. The nausea when he awoke was only one symptom. He was always tired and always hungry, even though most of what he ate he later spewed into the toilet.

_I am not a victim_, he told himself fiercely, feeling wretched. _I am not._

He refused to be, especially when he had brought this upon himself.

_I'll prove I'm not a victim._

He didn't care what became of Daniel anymore. What he wanted was the same thing he had desired from the start: Maddie. No longer had he any need of restraint for fear of permanently alienating her child, who surely would detect his hand behind any scheme. He pushed himself off the floor and returned to the bedroom. Seizing his knitting needles, he continued the green and gold scarf he had started earlier in the week and let the soft clacking roll through his mind, clearing it.

He wasn't a victim. Victims weren't murderers and he was finally going to do what he should have years ago: kill Jack.

* * *

Danny pulled his English textbook from his locker and dumped it into his backpack. As much as he hated lugging it around, he really needed to review for Lancer's exam during lunch.

"Hey, Danny."

He turned to find Valerie Gray behind him. She waved, giving him a shy smile that he wanted to interpret in a dozen ways that he knew simply weren't true. Just friends, she had said two years ago and had stuck to it. Just friends forever he knew because he would never let her capture Danny Phantom. He remembered holding her hand and wished that he had kissed her at least once- but the longing was fleeting. The moment it entered his consciousness, alarm bells clanged in his head and his stomach heaved.

"Hu… hi, Valerie," he stuttered. "I… gotta go to the bathroom."

He slammed shut his locker door and fled.

The boys' room was empty. Danny threw his backpack on the floor and grabbed the edge of one of the sinks, wondering if he was going to retch. No, he realized, not this time. He was finally over that.

He couldn't bear talking with or even looking at Valerie and Paulina anymore. As before, his heart would palpitate and a dizzying sense of desire would rush to his head- but now, his stomach would clench and churn. He'd remember the pain of thrusting himself dry into Vlad, remember the whimper that had escaped the other man- remember the wanton, consuming lust and wonder what would happen were he ever alone with one of his former crushes. Would the beast rise again, driving him to rip through one of them as he had through Vlad?

A stall door opened with a clang, making Danny jump. He had thought he was alone, yet apparently not; in the mirror, he saw Tucker approach the sinks. His friend stood next to him, soaping and rinsing his hands and then turning off the faucet. The bathroom quiet again, Tucker turned to Danny and asked, "You okay, man?"

"Yeah," Danny replied.

Tucker shook his head. "No, you're not. You've been acting weird, especially around Valerie, and it's not the normal liking a girl weird. Something's up-"

"Tuck, it's really none of your business-"

"You sure about that?" his friend demanded, giving Danny a hard look. "Because it seems to me- and Sam agrees- that your attitude changed right after your last fight with Plasmius."

A slow panic crept through Danny. He didn't want them to know what he'd done, didn't want them to hate him- but he deserved for them to hate him, didn't he? Perhaps he should tell them. If he really cared about his friends, then wasn't he obligated to reveal the monster he was and give them the chance to escape the orbit of his influence? Tucker and Sam allowed their lives to revolve around his because they thought of him as a hero. Didn't they deserve the knowledge so that they could pick something else- someone else- for themselves that wasn't a lie?

Yet he could not tell them. The least he could do for Vlad was allow the other hybrid to choose between silence and disclosure. He could imagine many reasons why Vlad would want to keep the rape a secret: preserve his cover, retain any hope he might have with Maddie, avoid bizarre legal repercussions. Danny would not deny the man that right.

Tucker reached for his shoulder. "Danny-"

He jerked away.

"Don't!" he shouted. "Maybe I don't _want_ to tell you. When did they write the law that says I have to share everything with you?"

Tucker looked stunned- then his body stiffened.

"There _isn't_ a law, Danny," he retorted. "If you're going to snap at me like that, maybe it's a good thing there isn't. Talk to me when you're done being an asshole."

He turned sharply, leaving Danny simmering. What right had Tucker to pry into something Danny obviously did not what to talk about? Danny had repeatedly told his friends to back off. That should be enough!

Anger was as painful and as crippling to him as desire. For a second time, he felt sickness rise from his stomach and almost grabbed the sink again. Anger and desire- although the latter's cause he did not understand- had been the emotions twined in his breast when he had raped Vlad. Anger had consumed his reason and the slightest twinge of it sent him spiraling into doubt and self-directed fear. If it took hold of him in the same fashion again, Sam or Tucker could be the victim this time. What was to stop the beast from consummating the fury it roared?

Despair was the only safe emotion. Others were too dangerous or were ones such as happiness and hope that he no longer deserved. He ran into a stall, latched the door behind him, and sobbed. He hated himself- how could he continue to live like this? He went through the motions of life, his only enthusiasm for fighting ghosts because he thought it was meaningful- yet the violence of it brought him close to the edge of his fear no matter how well he maintained control.

The bell rang and he ignored it. Another detention- who cared? Not Danny; nothing mattered anymore. His grades had risen slightly only because homework was a dull, emotionless task that provided an excellent distraction from himself.

Minutes passed. Then his stall's door flung open after the lock was jarred by a slam. Dash Baxter stood outside, looking at Danny as if he were the prize in a cereal box.

"Well, well, well. Little Fenturd is crying like a girl. What's the matter, crybaby? Missing Mommy?"

Danny sniffled. He somewhat felt ashamed, but mostly indifferent. He only wanted to be alone and mumbled unenthusiastically, "Buzz off, Dash."

The jock pounded his fist against his palm and, approaching menacingly, declared, "I'll give ya something to cry about."

Danny closed his eyes and pretended that the fist colliding with his mouth belonged to Vlad.

* * *

Danny returned to class with a busted and bloody lip. Tucker and Sam looked at him with alarm, but no one else cared. The entire school knew he was Dash's favorite victim; nobody had cause to inquire whose knuckles had caused the damage and no one would hold the quarterback accountable for his actions. Dash was Casper High's hero and heroes- as Danny knew personally now- could commit atrocities and emerge unscathed in the public's eye.

_Would you hurt me if I asked you? If I begged? _Danny wondered, but knew he lacked the courage to ask it of Vlad aloud. Would he ever see the man again? He hoped not, but could not say for whose sake; he could only imagine the pain that thoughts of him inspired in the other hybrid.

The school day ended. Danny began to trudge home to Fentonworks, Sam and Tucker trailing him. He said nothing to them, knowing they followed by routine; he had stopped inviting them to walk with him months ago.

After several blocks, Sam finally spoke up. "Danny, Tucker and I are worried about you-"

"Yeah I know," he grumbled. "You tell me every day."

"We're more than worried," she insisted. "We're scared. You don't hang out with us after school anymore, you barely talk to us in school, and you seem to _like_ it when Dash beats you up-"

"Just leave me alone," he interrupted morosely.

He heard her stomp her foot, but he did not respond to it. He merely continued walking. A moment later, her footfalls came fast behind him as she ran to catch up.

"No!" she declared. "_You_ wouldn't if it was one of us-"

Danny whirled around and snapped, "Yeah, but you're not me! Neither of you is like me at all and I have problems you can't imagine-"

Sam's eyes flashed. "If by 'like you' you're referring to your powers, don't give us that lame excuse! We were there when you _got_ your powers, we've been with you in almost every ghost battle! Don't tell us we can't imagine-"

"Just leave me alone!" he shouted, hearing the hysterical edge to his own voice. He turned and fled, running the rest of the way to Fentonworks. He was sweaty and panting from exhaustion by the time he reached his doorstep, but at least Sam and Tucker had not followed.

Unlocking the door, Danny entered. Clangs from below and the general direction of the kitchen revealed his parents working in the lab. He walked upstairs without bothering to peek at them and say hello. Once safe in his room, he dropped his backpack on his desk and dug out his math book. He attempted his homework, but after fifteen minutes of algebraic formulas swimming before his eyes he gave up and flopped onto the bed.

_What am I going to do with myself?_

He could not continue like this, held in limbo by self-loathing and fear. Though he felt he deserved it, such a state of being was unsustainable. Sam and Tucker had realized something wrong within a week of his birthday; his parents- with whom he was not nearly as close as his friends- had noticed last month as the front he maintained in their presence began to waver. A few days ago, Sam had threatened to call his sister at college and describe to her Danny's behavior; Jazz he knew would in turn tell his parents who would…

He did not know what Jack and Maddie would do. Perhaps submit him to Fenton-brand medical testing like he had endured when he had been the only one in the family who could see Youngblood or force him to visit a psychiatrist. Either alternative carried a measure of trepidation for him: what if he cracked under the pressure and told the truth?

_I'd get what I deserve_, he thought.

But what would happen to Vlad?

He had to reclaim his life, he realized. Whether he deserved to be comfortable or happy again for even a moment could not be given the consideration it ought to be accorded. Life would continue, dragging Danny along willing or no- a life that was not really his. As a hero, the self-appointed and now publicly expected defender of Amity Park, his life belonged to those he fought to protect. He had known this somewhat vaguely at age fourteen; now it was an absolute and it held appeal. As penance for violating Vlad, he could offer the rest of his life to continue the work he had begun by choice.

This however required he maintain a stable identity as Danny Fenton. That meant he had to stop shunning Sam and Tucker, avoiding his parents, or allowing Dash to beat him up without protest or fight. Could he do that?

_If I have to_, he thought, gritting his teeth. How would he explain his recent behavior- and its sudden reversal- to his friends? He wondered if he could construct a plausible lie involving Spectra. Claiming he had been moody would not cut it.

_No, not Spectra_, he decided. _Dani._

The loss of her still ate away his heart, although she was no longer the primary source of his grief. No matter what cruelty Vlad had shown to Dani, it did not justify the brutality Danny had inflicted upon him.

So as Phantom, he would continue to fight for Amity Park. He would fend off any specter who tried to invade and send it back to the Ghost Zone.

Yet what if his foe was Plasmius?

He did not know. The thought of punching or shooting energy at the other hybrid made him sick. If Plasmius came to kill Jack or steal Maddie, Danny would have no choice but to fight. Yet if the other man returned for Amity Park for another reason, he knew precisely how he would react.

_Come for me, Vlad_, Danny thought, closing his eyes. _If you come just for me- nothing else- I'll let you do to me whatever you want._


End file.
